Shutter-closing mechanism for voting-machines.



No. 824,639. PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906. W. I. T. POSDIGK.

SHUTTER CLOSING MECHANISM FOR VO TING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 ATTOR N EY No. 824,639. PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906.

W. I. T. FOSDIOK. SHUTTER CLOSING MEOHANISM FOR VOTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 27, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

i 23 I a 25 24 22 i; 2

WITNESSES v NTOR Y j %%M Mm %.Q/g.

ATTORN EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM I. T. FOSDICK, or

SETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

OF PITTSFIELD, MASSACHU- SHUTTER-CLOSING MECHANISM FOR VOTING-MACHINES.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 26, 1906.

Application and November 27,1905. Serial Noizsazis.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM I. T. Fos-' DICK, a citizen-of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Shut-t er-Closing Mechanism for Voting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that portion of the mechanism of a voting-machine that has to do with independent voting, so called. The term independent voting is used as broadly descriptive of a style of voting which enables an independent voter to cast his vote for candidates of his own selection for any or all of the oiiices to be voted for wholly independently of party nominations. Independent voting is performed by writing the names of persons for whom the voter desires to cast a vote upon an independent-voting sheet, which is passed from a supply-roller to a receiving-roller as fast as it is used. Voting-apertures, to which the independent -voting sheet lies contiguous, are normally closed by shutters, each of which when opened discloses sufficient of the voting-sheet to permit a single vote to be written thereon.- After voting, the voter o erates mechanism which closes all shutters t at have been 0 ened and locks all of the shutters in the close position,

The present invention consists in certain constructions and in certain parts, im rovemonts, and combinations by which al open shutters are moved to the closed position by the iinal act of the voting 0 eration.

Vfitlthis object in view I have devised the novel mechanism which I will now describe, referring to the forming a part of thisspecification, and usin reference characters to indicate the severa parts. Figure 1 is an elevation illustrating the construction and operation of my novel shutterclosing mechanism, certain of the shutters being in the open position and the others closed and the closing-bar being shown in full lines in the normal or retracted position and in dotted lines in the operative or closing 0- sition Fig. 2, a horizontal section on the hne 2 2 in Fi s. 1 and 3 looking down; and Fig. 3 is an end elevation, partly broken away, as seen from the right in Figs. 1 and 2, the operating mechanism being removed.

I pin-14, which projects accompanying drawings,

10 denotes the face-plate of the machine, which is provided with horizontal voting-apertures 11, shown as placed in vertical aline ment. The. independent-voting sheet, the rollers b which it is carried, the mechanism by whic it is operated, theshutter-locking mechanism, and the voting mechanism form no portion of the ipresent invention and are therefore omitted or the sake of clearness.

12-indicates ways upon the inner side of the face-plate which receive the shutters 13, each shutter being shown as provided with a outward beyondthe outer face of the ways.

15 indicates a closing-bar, which lies in a vertical plane which enables it tojust clear the outer face of the ways and to en age the ,pins which projectv outward from the shutters. The ends of this bar are rigidly secured to u per and lower racks, (indicated, respective y, by 16 and 17,) ways, (indicated, respectively, by 18 and 19.)

20 indicates a vertical shaft carrying up per and lower pinions, (indicated, respectively, by21 and 22,) which engage the racks, respectively, .whereby the racks are moved longitudinally and lateral movement is imparted to the closing-bar; Lower pinion 22 engages an idler-pinion 23, which also engages a pinion 24, which in turnengages anoperating-rack 25, rigidly secured to, a drivingbar 26. The .drivingar is provided -with a roller 27, which engages a groove 28 in a cam 29, whose shaft carries a pinion 30, meshing with a gear-wheel 31 on a short shaft 32, 'ournaled in a hub 33 at one end of the mac ine. This shaft also carriesan-exit-lever 34, which is operatedby the voter after the voting operation has been completed.

As the special manner in which the votin operation 18 performed is wholly iminateria so far as the present invention is concerned, the voting mechanism has been Wholly omitted from the drawings and will not be described. It should, furthermore, be understood that while in order to clearly. illustrate the operation of my present invention I have illustrated it in connection with the exit-lever and intermediate connections used in the Triumph voting-machine the special operatin mechanism by which the vertical shaft is oscillated to actuate the closing-bar'is not material to the present invention, but may be which reciprocate in j a ward the right, as seenin Fig.

. fuII-linepositiOnin Fig. 1. 'in no use is rnadeofthe shutters; 1 twill of course be understood that in all 10 Fig.1, and the closing-bar is normally'in the are, connected injsuch ama'nner that when a varied-to suit-the requirements of use. It is suflicientvfor the purposes of this specificaa tion to. state-that the shutters are normallyin the closed-iposition that is, at their'eX-- treme-position toward the right, as seenin In ordinaryjvotvoting-machines the regular-voting me'chan-' ism and the independent-voting mechanism regular vote is cast for a candidate for any a regular'and. an. independent vote for the same nominee or tovote-for more than one nominee for, nyjoffice, except, of course,

.for- The shutter-locking 'mec'hanisrhe that retained'in' the locked position when the regu? lar' voting mechanism, is operated-have v o ce'-the corresponding shutter of the independent v'oting mechanism is locked, so that itis made impossible for a voter to cast both is, the connections by w ifihsthe shutters are nothing to do with the, present invention and are therefore not illustrated; i

In use the voter'stands at the front of the machine, and 'ifhe desires .to vote independ- -j entlyffor a "3: .ofiice. moves the shutter corresponding to that 'ofiiee from its position to 1 to theposition tow'a'rdithe left, asi-seen in Fig. 1-,. 1n-

1 which the first, fifth, seventh, and other shut Qters are shown-as moved-toward the left,as in A ation is' completed thevoter on passing out from the voting-booth a'ctuates certain oper 'ating mechanismT in' the J ism istorotat'ethe vertical sha'it and move independent vot1ng.- After the voting Toper- I resent'instancean" exit-leverfwhich isthe alact of voting. Theeifect of the operation of, this mecham tion, as clearly. shown.

tion. v

.in gb ar, an'operatingqac means for reciprocating the vdriving-bar and connections 'intermedlate the operatln racks 16 and 17 and with them the closing the' closing bar engaging the pins on all the opened shutters and moving them simultaneously from the open to the'cllosed pos1' I The return move: ment of the operating mechanism returns the ,closing-bar to its normal or full-line position,

leaving all of the shutters in-the closed posi- Having thus described 5 my invention, -I

' 1. In a niecha-nism of the character described; the combination with sliding shutters and a ciosing-bar adapted to engage said shutters, of upper and lower racks by which the closing-bar is carried,'a vertical shaft,

pinions on said shaft engaging the raeks and 'means for oscillating said shaft to move opened shutters to the closed position and then return the closing-bar to its normal po- ,sition.

2. Ina mechanism of the scribed, the combination with sliding shuttersand a closing-bar adapted to engage said shutters, of racks 16- and 17 by which the closing-bar is carried, a vertical shaft, pinions on said shaitengagin the racks, a' drivcarried thereby,

rack and rackfl 7 whereby the shaft is osci lated and the closing-bar reciprocated latercharacter d ebar, from the position shown in run lines in Fig. 1 to the position shown in dotted lines, 

